EST. 1841

02/11/2021

#永誌不忘 — 由即日至11月22日，欲支持年度虞美人花募捐活動（Poppy Appeal）的公眾人士，可到英國皇家退伍軍人協會位於中環置地廣塲公爵大廈3505-06室的臨時義賣中心，購買虞美人花。

義工亦將於11月13日（星期六）的募捐活動中，於港島區進行義賣。追思紀念會在翌日（11月14日）於中環和平紀念碑舉行，由英國皇家退伍軍人協會及香港退伍軍人聯會舉辦，以紀念在二次大戰中及香港保衛戰中所有殉職軍人及死難者。

詳情請瀏覽:
http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/hong-kong
https://rbl.hk/

. From now to 22 November, members of the public can purchase a poppy in support of the annual Poppy Appeal at the Royal British Legion’s Temporary Poppy Depot at Rooms 3505-06, The Landmark Edinburgh Tower, Central.

Volunteers will also appeal to the public on the streets on Hong Kong Island on 13 November (Saturday). The Remembrance Day Ceremony will then be held on the next day on 14 November on The Cenotaph, organised by the Royal British Legion and HKESA, to remember those who have fallen.

For information visit:
http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/hong-kong
https://rbl.hk/

#永誌不忘

30/06/2021

‘Such is the end of Empire, I sighed to myself... Thus we left Hong Kong to her fate...’ Prince Charles, 1997
「我不禁自嘆：「帝國終於此也」... 吾人別過香江，遺她獨對於天地命數...」查理斯皇子，一九九七

We cried, they cried, and the heavens cried. Only the goose-stepping communists are smirking.
我們哭了，他們哭了，上天也哭了。只有踏著鵝步的共產黨員在暗笑。

09/04/2021

May him rest in peace.
願安息

Members of the public begin laying floral tributes to Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.

12/02/2021

Gung Hei Fat Choi!
恭喜發財！

The Cantonese word Gong Hei Fat Choi was used for many many years is English to symbolisms Lunar New Year, but it is slowly replaced by its Mandarin counterpart Gong Xi Fa Chai.

Look at just the words, Gong Hei Fat Choi looks way less intimidating without the X. Fat could also symbolise prosperity Cantonese, double wishes for Lunar New Year!

單按字形而言，Gong Hei Fat Choi始終比Gung Xi Fa Chai少一份殺氣。Fat更語帶雙關，喻意人人過肥年！

26/01/2021

Today is the day! Happy Birthday Hong Kong!
香港生日快樂！

20/01/2021

Hong Kong Day 2021: 180th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong
香港開埠一百八十週年

Queen Victoria had only been on her throne for three and a half years when the Crown Colony of Hong Kong was established in 1841. China still had an Emperor back then, and will continue to have one for another seventy years before the Republic of China took over.

When the Communists claimed their victory in the civil war in 1949, Hong Kong was already 108 years old. Hong Kong was 156 years old when she was handed over to Communist China in 1997. The CCP always wanted us to forget that Hong Kong has such a rich history, as if our belived city did not exist before 1997.

一八四一年香港開埠、維多利亞女皇登基四年未夠、淸朝積弱但尚算健在，末代皇帝浦儀還有七十年才被民國總統取代。

共產黨一九四九年竊國之時，香港已逾百年之身。一九九七年，香港一百五十六歲，紅色中國才四十有八。一直也不明白，爲甚麼「阿爺」只有「孫仔」的三分一年齡。

01/01/2021

The Chinese claim they are our family, yet we feel more comnected to our ‘colonial masters’ everyday. How strange...

北望神州十四億人口每天在微博聲稱我們「血濃於水」，但香港對「事頭婆」的懷念卻每天增長... 是十四億人口中的「当英爹的狗当久了不懂做人了」，還是另有原因？相信觀眾的眼睛是雪白的。

迷上港英時期歷史的Gwulo網站創辦人David Bellis　eBay買相睇政府文件搵資料補圓香港歷史 每一位土生土長的香港人都帶着不同原因，嘗試了解自己身處地的歷史，可以是尋根、可以是戀殖、可以是單純的研究。來自英國的David Belli...

30/12/2020

Sun Rays by Fan Ho. He took a great many photos in Hong Kong, capturing timeless moments. There is but only one place he kept coming back to - Central Market...

香港是他的劇塲舞臺、陽光是他的鎂光燈、每格菲林凝住了那1/125秒的Hong Kong Scene。他由堅尼地海傍拍到銅鑼灣皇仁，唯獨是一個setting，也許連何藩也念念不忘... 豬肉榮、賣魚勝、陳師奶... 這些他他他與她的一剎那，就在此地經何藩先生的快門化作永恆...

#何藩 #中環街市

29/12/2020

They all deserve the same attention
希望大家可以留意埋其它有價值的建築物

update 29-12-2020：

昨日窩仔山發現的百年蓄水池建築，眾志成城，讓人欣喜；然而，一些同樣有價值，甚至是集體回憶的歷史建築，卻沒如此幸運。
看回九月時的發帖，不過三個月時間，相片中七個歷史建築，已分別「開展」不同命運。
邵氏影城拆卸進度如火如荼，傳媒間幾乎無聲無色；
永和號唐樓尚未活化，卻被發現內部木結構遭到清空；
皇都戲院正準備迎接新生命，大眾是又驚又喜；
灣仔古典大宅「旨南居」將化成證婚場所，不淪不類的「活化」謊話，仍是沒法阻止，旁邊建築群已陸續消失；
盧吉道27號的內地業主已將古典大宅改口換面，大宅內部情況不明，百年之身的盧吉道亦因相關工程受害不少；
「H計劃」過渡房屋project正式展開，黃氏大宅的未來身形，是福是禍，仍然是未知之數；
香港客家大屋典範，「博愛之家」的業主，一再申請將屋前的半月形風水池改建成骨灰龕堂，大眾卻似乎毫不知情。
另外，連近日遭到不知名人士破壞的青山紅樓、即將賣地重建的中環郵政總局等，多處歷史古蹟同樣記載香港故事，需要大眾及時關注及守護。
p.s.
特別一提，以上建築之中，雖然多是一級歷史建築，但是，除永和號唐樓外，其餘均屬私人擁有，前途更讓人擔憂。現時法例中，只有被評為法定古蹟的建築，才可享有法律保護，免除拆卸危機，至於其他，即使被形容為「具特別重要價值」的一級歷史建築，業主也可合法地拆卸。可惜的是，如夢初醒，當大眾驚覺多少歷史回憶都應予以保留，它們，卻早被私人擁有。
法例如此，但是，結局是必然沒法改變？
看昨天多麼耀眼，但願這樣眾志成城的力量，於其他角落，也能散發光芒。
- - - - -

original text：

七個正受保育或「活化亅危機的歷史建築，除「H計劃」是Grade 3外，其他都獲評一級，各自盛載香港故事。數年後，會不會變成另一個「灣仔街市」，極需更多關注。

28/12/2020

Tragic
非常可惜

24/12/2020

Christmas Truce
聖誕停火

It was Christmas Eve in 1914 when carols replaced gunfire on the Western Front. On that day, the British, the French and the Germans came out of their trenches without the fear of dying to celebrate. Those who once fired at each other exchanged blessings, gifts, and prisoners.

The truce did not last, commanders of both sides soon ordered bans on friendly communications with the enemies. But there were rumours that both sides targeted the shots away from the trenches to avoid casualties. Perhaps they were tired of fighting, perhaps they were questioning the war ‘why are we fighting?’, perhaps...

一九一四年平安夜，平日炮火連連的西綫響起點點歌聲，雙方士兵互相確認過安全後，紛紛爬出戰壕慶祝聖誕節到來。兩陣交換祝福、禮物、戰犯以示善意。英德兩軍更即塲踢起足球，成爲聖誕停火的標記。

可惜好景不長，雙方指揮官下急令禁止士兵與敵人交流，但據聞後續數天雙方故意打歪炮，以免傷及對方。也許士兵對戰事已倦，也許停火容許他們冷靜反思自己爲何而戰。不論如何，聖誕停火提醒了大家，戰爭是一塲「一將功成萬骨枯」的遊戲，是痛亦是悲。

(British and German soldiers on Christmas Day 1914, IWM)